Abstract
Theoretical frameworks on mismatch, rooted in affirmative action literature, provide divergent conclusions on how overmatch, a synonym for affirmative action, and undermatch shape degree completion outcomes for Black undergraduates at selective postsecondary institutions. Through examining data from the 2003–2009 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Survey, this study creates an academic index that estimates the precollege academic credentials of approximately 650 Black, first-time undergraduates enrolled at the top three tiers of selective colleges during the 2003–04 academic year to examine the effects of undermatching or attending a college that is less rigorous than a college that matches their precollege academic record. The findings suggest that overmatched Black students who enrolled at the most selective institutions were far more likely to graduate than students with similar precollege academic credentials who enrolled at their best academic match. The results also indicate that undermatching had an adverse effect on degree completion rates.
TopIntroduction
Education in colonized spaces stems from a context of antiblackness, perpetuating images of Black students as inferior and unworthy of high-quality learning experiences. Indeed, since the dawn of American schooling in the colonial era, Black academic advancement has been seen as a threat to educational and economic systems that would prefer that Black people labor with their hands, not use and have control of their minds (Warren & Coles, 2020). This “afterlife of slavery,” as noted by Hartman (2007, p. 6), has resulted in educational spaces where Black students grow increasingly aware of how elusive higher learning access and opportunities are within a system that was designed to restrict their social and economic mobility.
Receiving a postsecondary degree, particularly one from a selective or prestigious college, is often fundamental to social and economic mobility in the United States. Since 1967, the percentage of college graduates who have incomes in the top distribution tiers has remained steady at approximately 86%. To contrast, about 60% of high school dropouts are in the lowest income tier (Kahlenberg, 2010). Moreover, degree completion is also associated with positive academic outcomes like pursuing continuing and lifelong education as well as social and wellness benefits such as enhanced social networks, higher wages, and fewer health risks (Roderick et al., 2011; Himma, 2001).
Bourdieu (1999) characterizes these intentional structural inequities in school buildings and ivory towers as la petite misère or “sites of suffering”. For instance, in an examination of education policies and practices after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision that laid the foundation for school desegregation, Bell (2004) found that Black students have been and continue to be treated as interlopers when their perspectives were offered in matters such as teacher selection, social activities, and curriculum and instruction, which can hinder academic achievement.
As K–12 and postsecondary education were established and expanded, Black people were and have been systematically excluded from elite formal learning opportunities at both traditionally white public K–12 schools and postsecondary institutions (Donahoo, 2006; Dumas, 2016; Dumas, 2014). This artifact of the afterlife of slavery contributed to the creation of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), not as sites of suffering but as “Black Education Spaces,” a phrase coined by Warren & Coles (2020) to describe safe outlets for academic and creative expression for Black scholars to develop their social, emotional, political, and intellectual identities (Porter & Holquist, 2021; Palmer & Brown, 2020; Ladson-Billings, 2009).
Nevertheless, the efforts to minimize the historical effects that antiblackness has had on educational access and opportunities for Black scholars have been pervasive. Examples include colorblind approaches to teaching and learning in classroom settings that fail to consider Black students’ unique access to and expectations for high-quality education as well as efforts from lawmakers from more than 20 states that instruct educators to underrepresent or eliminate curricula and instruction that highlights how antiblackness has shaped the Black education experience (Schuessler, 2021; Goode et al., 2020; Calvan, 2021; Flaherty, 2021; Henry & Generett, 2005; A. Perry, 2021).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Affirmative Action: A policy created by the Johnson administration to address systemic inequities in hiring and education opportunities for Black people in the United States.
Antiblackness: A belief that Black culture is inferior to other cultures.
Academic Engagement: The extent to which students participate in learning activities with faculty and peers outside of the classroom.
Undermatch: Attending a college far below demonstrated ability, as measured by standardized test scores and grade point average.
Overmatch: Attending a college far above demonstrated ability, as measured by standardized test scores and grade point average.
Social Engagement: The extent to which students interact with their peers in collegial settings outside of the classroom.
Mismatch: Attending a college that does not match demonstrated ability, as measured by standardized test scores and grade point average.